At El Toro High, each passion has its place

Feb. 14, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Kevin Tran is the president of Movement Inspired, a dance club at El Toro High School. During their lunch break they began practicing and rehearsing a dance to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kevin Tran, president of the Movement Inspired club at El Toro High School, helps lead the rehearsal. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Every week, the club gathers and practices a new routine. It is primarily focused on hip-hop music. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tran said the club functions as a stress reliever and a fun way to exercise. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Members of Movement Inspired rehearse a dance during their lunch break. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro High School student Becky Bender founded the I Eat Apples and Bananas Club, a group that encourages nutrition and fitness. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro High School student Cassie Fields is co-president of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes club. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Student Jacob Furnari is co-president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at El Toro High School. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A photo from an ET Couture photo shoot. Kelli Buehrer, pictured, is one of the members of the club, which focuses on fashion. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMMI SCOTTO

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El Toro High School student Kelsie Hermanson is the president of the school's Swing Dance Club. ISAAC ARONJILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro High School student Victoria Lo is president of ET Couture, the school's fashion club. ISAAC ARONJILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A photo from a 1920s-themed photo shoot by the ET Couture club. Shannon Bernard, pictured, is one of the members of the new club, which focuses on fashion. PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKA MAMMADOVA

Kevin Tran is the president of Movement Inspired, a dance club at El Toro High School. During their lunch break they began practicing and rehearsing a dance to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

By the numbers

100 Approximate membership of largest El Toro High club: Fellowship of Christian Athletes

El Toro High School students are not shy about pursuing their passions.

From walking the runway to learning healthy eating habits, the school has nearly 100 clubs where students can explore nonacademic interests.

Take, for example, junior Kevin Tran. He spent a summer on the Irvine-based Underground Dance Team, which spurred him to start El Toro High's Movement Inspired, a club focused on hip-hop.

Weekly lunchtime lessons led by Tran and two other Underground members, Sandy Flores and Christine Reglos, have attracted dozens of students eager to learn.

Routines set to today's music – this week, the hit "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – attract students to the club, sophomore Patricia Mora said.

The club isn't exclusive to students who want to dance at a higher level: It functions as a stress reliever, a way to exercise and an all-around fun 40 minutes where students can let loose, Tran said.

Becky Bender is founder of a nutrition club called I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas, named after the traditional children's song.

Her goal is to inspire El Toro High students to eat more healthfully.

Bender, a soccer player, said her family has influenced her interest in eating well: She and her older sister once devoted an entire summer to learning to prepare a variety of good-for-you foods.

The fledgling club has about eight members so far, but Bender is hoping to grow its membership via a walk planned for April 21 at the school that is intended to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition.

In the meantime, she is working with a teacher to get the OK to plant a community garden near the girls' locker room.

Bender, a Girl Scout, said organizing and caring for the garden will be her Gold Award project.

Produce will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, she said.

Junior Victoria Lo started ET Couture this year as an outlet for students interested in entering the fashion industry – aspiring photographers, hairstylists, makeup artists, designers and more.

Photo shoots organized by the group draw dozens of students, who prep, preen, pose or take photos, depending on their area of interest.

Last weekend ET Couture conducted a three-day 1920s-themed photo shoot as a precursor to the school's Winter Formal, called "A Night With Gatsby."

Lo, an aspiring fashion designer, isn't El Toro High's sole fashionista: She expected about 10 people at her first meeting, but had upward of 50.

"We have really talented people in this club, and I think it's great that they get to use those talents," Lo said. "There's more to fashion than pretty clothes."

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